They will receive a $5,000 cash prize and will build a prototype of their tiny house at the Pride Action Tank Tiny Homes Summit, taking place at UIC on April 1819.

The Tiny Homes Competition is an international design competition launched in November 2015 which solicited speculative design proposals for tiny homes that could be economically built to house Chicago's youth experiencing homelessness. Bronzevillea neighborhood located in Chicago's South Sidehosts the proposed community site. Ald. Pat Dowell welcomed the competition in her ward, noting that the location was just for the competition, not for the final development.

More than 250 submissions were received from teams based in 12 countries. The competition was organized by AIA Chicago, the AIA Chicago Foundation, Landon Bone Baker Architects, Windy City Times, and Pride Action Tank. Funding for the competition was provided by the Alphawood Foundation.

A jury of experts in housing for underserved communities judged the competition. Juror Brent Brown, AIA, LEED AP, founding director of bcworkshop in Dallas, TX, has designed a transitional tiny home community currently under construction in his home town. He was joined by Jeff Bone, AIA, principal at Landon Bone Baker; Marisa Novara , director of the Metropolitan Planning Council; Sol Flores, executive director of La Casa Norte; and Benet Haller, Principal Adviser of the City of Chicago's Department of Urban Design and Planning.

The team of Howell, Stousland and Sandberg met in the undergraduate design studios of the University of Notre Dame School of Architecture. After graduating in 2011, all three found their way to Chicago where they have continued to collaborate. With a background in traditional architecture and urban planning, they share a contextual approach to design. They believe in the power of architecture to reflectand also influenceits surroundings, and see each project as an opportunity to make a tangible improvement to their built community.

Their design, entitled "A House for Living In," incorporates a traditional, one-story "duplex" structure with shed roofing. It creates 11 individual tiny homes for college-age youth, along with an accompanying community space. Each unit is 336-square feet, and costs only $73.00 per square foot to construct. Comparable conventional low-income housing units typically cost in the range of $200 to $400 per square foot ( depending on size and scope ), according to experts.

According to the team, the design is a new take on the traditional Chicago courtyard-style building. Residents pass through a secured gate and access front doors through a shared courtyard that contains a community garden. Also shared are deep breezeways between individual tiny homes that serve as front porches.

"The Tiny Homes Competition offered an exciting opportunity to apply our design approach in a familiar Chicago neighborhood, while exploring a unique housing model," the winning team says. "Terry's parents are long-time Bronzeville residents, and have hosted us for countless barbeque nights just two blocks from the competition site.

Designing for a location with such a personal connection provided extra incentivea chance to create something not simply beautiful, but also practical, contextual, and potentially transformative."

Judging criteria included community planning, feasibility, creative problem solving, design quality, and programhow the design would help or hinder a youth homelessness transition plan.

Juror Benet Haller notes the big ideas and small details were well planned. He states, "The submission's site and floor plans are very efficient. Locations for storage are well thought out and the sleeping area is nicely separated from the living area. The use of brick on the exterior is a nice touch. Everything about this submittal works well."

These projects will be showcased at AIA Chicago's Small Projects Awards Party on May 5 at Architectural Artifacts. The event is free and open to the public.

Chicago-based company Price Construction will be building the model home for the Tiny Home Summit. For information on the summit, April 18-19, 2016 at UIC, visit chicagotinyhomes.org .

ABOUT AIA CHICAGO

Founded in 1869, AIA Chicago represents nearly 3,000 licensed architects, architectural interns, and allied professionals in northeastern Illinois. AIA Chicago is the second largest AIA chapter in the nation.

ABOUT THE AIA CHICAGO FOUNDATION

The AIA Chicago Foundation is an independent not-for-profit, charitable organization dedicated to supporting activities that benefit the Chicago-area architecture community. The Foundation provides grants, travel scholarships and awards for activities that promote the profession and the larger architecture and design community.

ABOUT LANDON BONE BAKER ARCHITECTS

Landon Bone Baker Architects is a hands-on, full-service architectural practice and the 2014 winner of AIA Chicago's Firm of the Year Award. "Good design is for everyone."

ABOUT PRIDE ACTION TANK

PAT is a new, results-driven group that addresses challenges facing individuals and groups within LGBTQ communities through a collaborative process of inquiry, advocacy and action. It is a project of the AIDS Foundation of Chicago.

ABOUT WINDY CITY TIMES

Windy City Media Group serves the diverse communication needs of the LGBTQ community. It produces Windy City Times, Chicago's 30-year-old weekly LGBT newspaper, as well as a website, community events and benefits.

ABOUT ALPHAWOOD FOUNDATION

Alphawood Foundation is a Chicago-based grant making private foundation working for an equitable, just and humane society. It awards grants to more than 200 organizations annually, primarily in the areas of advocacy, architecture and preservation, arts, domestic violence prevention, the environment, promotion and protection of the rights of LGBT citizens and people living with HIV/AIDS, and other human and civil rights.

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